Dunfallandy Stone

Dunfallandy Stone in its
Shelter

The Dunfallandy Stone is a Pictish cross slab which stands about a
mile south of the centre of Pitlochry.
Access is from the minor road that progresses down the west side of the valley
of the River Tummel, a little south of where it passes under the A9. A Historic Environment Scotland
sign points the way through a gate and up the drive past a farm, but
other signs note access is pedestrian only from here, meaning you need to find
somewhere beside the already very narrow road road to park.

The walk from the gate to the stone is a couple of hundred yards
long, past a farmstead and then up a set of steps that climb what seems to be a
mound to the left of the drive. At the top of the steps you find that the
Dunfallandy Stone is housed in a glass and stone construction, clearly built to
protect it from the elements. The location appears a little odd, seemingly
marginalised next to the edge of the top of the mound, most of which is
occupied by burial enclosures surrounded by railings. One of these is home to
the magnificent tomb of Lieutenant-General Archibald Fergusson of Dunfallandy
who died in 1834. This is presumably why the location was referred to in the
1860s as Mausoleum Mound.

The Dunfallandy Stone stands some 1.5m high and 0.6m wide. It was
probably carved some time in the 700s, and follows the pattern found on many
such stones of having a highly elaborate cross carved on the front face and a
fine collection of symbols and figures carved on the rear face. The spaces
above and below the side arms of the cross are filled by a series of panels
with carvings of animals and angels.

The reverse of the stone carries a number of the symbols seen on so
many Pictish stones. These include fish-tailed snakes forming a frame. Most
interesting, however, are the figures of three figures carved on this side of
the stone. The two at the top are shown seated facing each other on ornate
chairs. Between them is a cross on a table. Symbols seem to be associated with
each of the figures, and it is tempting to suggest that these might mean that
such symbols are, as has sometimes been speculated, indications of the identity
of individuals.

One interpretation of this section of the stone is that it depicts
the meeting of St Paul and St Anthony, but it may equally be a scene from the
life of the person the stone may have been carved to commemorate: perhaps his
conversion to Christianity. Beneath the seated figures is a large carving of a
horseman, again accompanied by symbols.

The stone was originally known locally as Clach
an t'Sagairt or "The Priest's Stone". The local minister, writing in
1845, notes that it was "long the object of much superstitious attention from
the natives". One early source referred to the stone as standing next to a
chapel near the Pass of
Killiecrankie, which led to speculation it had been moved to its current
location at some later time. However the mound on which it stands was once home
to an early chapel, and it seems likely that the Dunfallandy Stone has always
stood on or close to where you see it today.

The structure which surrounds it now ensures that the stone will
survive to be appreciated by future generations. It also, sadly, makes the
stone much more difficult to view. When we visited, reflections off the surface
of the glass virtually obscured the cross face of the stone.